


Chemical Reaction

by LtTanyaBoone



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-06
Updated: 2011-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-15 15:19:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTanyaBoone/pseuds/LtTanyaBoone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ziva gets a mysterious gift and has to figure out who gave it to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chemical Reaction

_Spoilers: **everything**_ [this starts in S7 and moves through S8 to a point after what we have now seen in S9, apparently]  
 _Pairing:_ Ziva/Ray, McGee/Ziva [McGiva] _  
_ _Summary:_ Ziva gets a mysterious gift and has to figure out who gave it to her. This is horribly cliché and briefly features a supposed third installment of _The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs_.

also, I have no knowledge of chemistry whatsoever, Wikipedia did all the work in that regard.

* * *

No matter how hard she tries to make a point of this not being a special day at all, her team somehow always manages to acknowledge her birthday.

Tony places a cup of black tea and a donut on her desk when he comes in five minutes late, and Ziva is pretty sure that the only reason Gibbs doesn't smack him is because of her grateful smile and the fact that yes, her partner actually remembered her birthday.

Gibbs lets her take the lead at the crime scene and boss the others around and she has a hard time not enjoying that too much. Maybe, it's a good thing, having your birthday fall on a work day, but then again, with their job, every day has the potential to become a work day.

Abby is a lot less subtle, she hugs her and wishes her a happy birthday and hands her a present wrapped in silver paper and a black bow when her and Tim go down to the Lab to ask for results. Ziva blushes and is happy that neither Tony nor Gibbs are with them, but returns Abby's hug still and can't help the happy smile on her face.

In the elevator, Tim surprises her by slamming on the emergency break button and turning to her slowly.

"Um, happy birthday." he mutters, holding out a thin envelope to her. She takes it with a frown, setting down Abby's present and taking out her knife to open the sealed envelope. Inside, she finds two tickets to the opera.

"Tim…" she breathes, recognizing the play she went on about two weeks ago and remembering very well that the tickets she could be able to afford had already been sold out, much like the really expensive ones are now. "I, I can't accept this. Those must've have cost you a small fortune, there is no way-"

"No, don't, don't worry about that." he quickly shakes his head. "My publisher got them and she already has plans on the weekend and gave them to me. They didn't cost me anything besides a new chapter on my novel and she would've gotten that anyway, so… yeah."

She's still staring at the two cards in her hand and then hugs him tightly in thanks, bending down to pick up Abby's present as he lets the elevator continue its ride upwards.

"You'll come with me, of course." she tells him just as the doors open and he nods. She isn't sure if she's imagining the small smile playing on his lips when he passes her desk to get to his own and she doesn't even want to begin to examine why the possibility of him being happy about spending time with her makes her feel giddy and lightheaded.

The rest of the day passes in a blur, and after a cup of tea with Ducky down in Autopsy, she gets home, exhausted but happy. She's looking forward to a quiet evening on her couch with the mystery novel Abby got her, when she finds something curious as she digs around for her keys. A small, black velvet box. Once inside her apartment, Ziva sits down on the couch and contemplates the box. She can't hear any ticking and it's too small to be an explosive device, so she figures she might as well open it. Inside, she finds a silver necklace with a rather queer pendant. It looks like the representation of a chemical compound, much like the ones she has seen on Abby's screen when she was analyzing things and trying to figure something out. Though Ziva is pretty sure that she has never seen anything like this one before. Nor does she know who could have given it to her. She already got something from Tony and she highly doubts that he'd get her something like this. Neither would Gibbs, he knows she doesn't want presents and respects that as much as he can. Then there's Tim and he gave her those wonderful cards, and Abby got her the book she wanted to reward herself with once she passed her citizenship test. Ducky, the other one that would understand this, invited her for a lovely cup of tea and he actually got a blend of jasmine tea for that occasion, so she figures he is out, too. The only one who didn't say anything was Palmer, but then again, she only glimpsed him once, at the crime scene, where he showed up looking like death warmed over and was sent home immediately, before he could manage to sneeze over their evidence. She hasn't seen him at NCIS at all that day and she doubts he faked being ill just to sneak her a present and not have her suspect him. But then, who could have given her this? They must've had access to her backpack and have no one else around while they slipped it inside. But she never left her backpack unattended, except for when they were at the crime scene, and then it was locked inside their truck for most of the time…

With a frown on her forehead, she stashes the necklace back into her backpack, to ask Abby about what the chemical compound means. Maybe the meaning will tell her more about who gave it to her.

* * *

When she hands Abby the necklace, the Goth gets excited and asks who got her such a cool gift, and Ziva can't help but shrug, since she has no idea who was responsible for this. Though Abby's excitement to figure out what it is and who gave it to her confirms Ziva's suspicion that it wasn't Abby. The Goth can't lie to save her life.

She goes about her day and at the end, returns to Abby's lab, where she finds the Forensic Scientist pouring over a book, turning pages.

"I am so sorry, Ziva." she mutters, handing her back the necklace. "I have tried, really, but I couldn't find it anywhere. It's not one of the dangerous chemical compounds, though, so I guess someone secretly saying they'll kill you is out of the question."

Ziva raises an eyebrow, fastening the necklace around her neck so it doesn't get tangled and shrugs.

"It's okay." she assures Abby, running her finger over the pendant, when the door to the Lab opens and Ducky walks in, with a sniffling Palmer in tow.

"Abigail, do you have the results for the tissue sample I sent up?" the gentle doctor asks her, jumping slightly when Palmer sneezes loudly.

"God gracious, can't you warn us?" he mutters as Ziva hands Palmer a box of tissues.

"Danks." the young man mutters, blowing his nose. When he looks at her again, his eyes widen slightly, and Ziva frowns at him.

"I suggest you take a lesson in subtlety, Palmer." she tells him, rolling her eyes when the man blushes crimson.

"No! No, I wasn't, I would never, not that you're not attractive but really, I know better than to-"

Another loud sneeze cuts of his rambled apology and Ziva crosses her arms, waiting for him to blow his nose again.

"Then why did you stare?" she asks him and Palmer points at her chest. Or rather, her necklace, as she suddenly realizes. She reaches up and touches it, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Do you know what it means?" Ziva asks him and Palmer nods eagerly.

"Yeah, I was going over my notes on the human nervous system for my exams." Jimmy tells her and Ziva narrows her eyes at him, waiting. "Oh. It's uh, it's acetylcholine. It's a neurotransmitter, commonly associated with learning, memory and dreaming."

Slowly, Ziva nods, swallowing thickly. Learning and dreaming? In that case, it must have come from someone who knows enough about her to know how hard she is studying for her citizenship test and how badly she wants to become a US citizen. She takes her leave from the Lab and drives home almost on autopilot, wondering who may have gotten her the necklace. In the end, she accepts it as a good luck charm. She will get a longer chain to hide it under her shirt so it isn't visible. Because the last thing she wants is for people to think that Ziva David believes in lucky charms and rabbit feet and four leafed clovers. She doesn't. But she figures that she might as well wear it. If it doesn't work, then well, she'll just be wearing another necklace. If it does…

* * *

She knows it's not the necklace that makes her pass with flying colors, it's her own efforts and determination. But she still continues wearing it after she has already passed. It has become a fixed part of her wardrobe, always tucked out of sight. She knows Tony glimpsed the other chain a few times and is wondering why she is wearing two necklaces, the new Magen David she got herself around Thanksgiving and another one she always hides, but he doesn't ask and if he did, she'd probably tell him it was one of Ari's presents for her when she was younger. It would actually make sense, he was a doctor after all…

It's not before she returns back from Miami that she finds another small box in her backpack. It is smaller this time and for a second, she is afraid that it may be a ring this time, a thought that severely freaks her out. But when she finally gets up the courage to open the box, she finds that it is another charm, a different chemical this time. It must be coming from the same person that gave her the first one. This time, Ziva is sure she has actually seen it before, though she can't really place it.

The next day, she finds herself back down in Abby's lab and discovers that the new pendant is an easy way to get her to stop needling her with questions about who she is writing her emails to. She isn't in the mood to share anything about Ray just yet; it feels nice to have something that only she knows about for a change. Plus, she's not sure if they're going to get really serious anyway. Miami was nice and she enjoyed his company, but it was mostly easy flirting and friendship with an undercurrent of sexual tension they were both afraid to act on because it could have meant losing the other.

"It's serotonin." Abby tells her after one look at the pendant, hitting the keys of her keyboard and drawing up a revolving 3D representation of Ziva's new charm. "It's another neurotransmitter."

Ziva nods, slowly turning the charm over in her palm. "I read something about it once, I think. It's linked with satisfaction?"

Abby nods. "Yeah, satisfaction and happiness, though there are other things it's responsible for. Those are the ones most people are aware of, though."

Ziva reaches up and fastens her necklace again, tugging it back under her shirt before she looks at Abby, curiously.

"And you really aren't the one giving me these?" she asks her friend and Abby laughs, shaking her head.

"Nope. Trust me, if I got you something, you'd know what it was. And that it's coming from me."

Ziva ponders that statement before nodding. Abby is right, her gifts are usually so… extraordinary that it doesn't take a genius to guess that Abby is responsible for them.

"Then who? Who could have given them to me?" she asks, thinking hard.

"Has it occurred to you that they may not be coming from the same person?" Abby slowly suggests and Ziva raises her eyebrows at her friend. "Well, maybe, your… new friend saw the other pendant and wanted to get you something to go with it? Maybe he was jealous because he thought you were wearing another man's necklace."

Ziva frowns lightly, starting to shake her head before pausing. Could it be? Could Ray have gotten jealous and wanted her to know that he cared about her? Maybe he thought she had a fascination with chemistry. She had told him about what the other pendant meant, maybe he wanted to go along with the theme…

"It's not like I can ask him. Plus, I found the new one in the same pocket I keep my keys, the same one where the original necklace was on my birthday."

"Huh…" Abby mutters, frowning, her green eyes widening slightly. Ziva notices and turns to her.

"What?"

"What what?"

"Oh come on, Abby. I am an investigator and I know when someone just suddenly realizes something and things are beginning to make sense. I can see the wheels in your head turning, you just finished the puzzle. Spill."

Abby shakes her head.

"I, I can't." she stammers. "I'm not even sure it's them and if I am right, he wouldn't want you to know."

"Ha! So it _is_ a he." the Israeli exclaims in triumph.

Abby groans, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Ziva, but… I can't tell you. He'll tell you if he wants you to know."

Ziva slowly shakes her head, sighing. "Then I'll have to figure it out myself, yes?" she mutters, taking the report from Abby and leaving to return to the bullpen. She refuses to give up on the mystery of who got her that necklace. From Abby's reaction, she now knows that it's not a stranger and he's not dangerous. It narrows things down further and lets her know she was right with her assumption: it's either Tim or Tony who are giving her these pendants. Now she just has to figure out which one of the two is responsible.

* * *

Months later, she isn't anywhere near a conclusion as to who gave her the necklace and two pendants. But it's pretty much the last thing on her mind these days.

She broke up with Ray, and even though she knew he wasn't what she was looking for, even though he hurt her immensely by lying to her again and again and keeping important things from her (things he didn't have to keep to himself because of work but still didn't talk to her about because he 'didn't feel like sharing'), it still hurts how much she misses him. She liked him and she was in love with him, but he disappointed her again and again and she just couldn't let herself be treated like this any longer.

The team tries to cheer her up and Ziva is thankful for the distraction that club nights, movies and public readings provide her with.

After a few months, when the hurt and pain have faded, she suddenly finds herself anxiously pacing her living room, checking her watch again and again as she waits for Tim to pick her up. They're going to another reading, only this time he won't be listening but the one doing the reading. His new book is out and while he tried to keep it a secret from the team, he didn't count on Ziva being subscribed to the mailing list on his website. She pulled him aside during work the other day and suggested they could attend another book reading and he had agreed, missing the mischief in her eyes, something he came to regret when she told him the date and place of the one she wanted to attend, letting him know he had been found out. Begrudgingly, he had agreed to take her, knowing full well that if he didn't, she'd still show up, and he'd rather have her on his side in the beginning than working against him from the start. Though he had sworn that, if she asked one embarrassing question, he would make her pay for it.

She really enjoys spending time with him, and there are random moments when she catches herself looking at him over the bullpen, watching him work briefly before she returns to her own work. She noticed in the past how her heart sometimes speeds up when he smiles at her, one of his genuine, heartfelt smiles, but still, she never examined the reasons for that, simply because she isn't sure she'd be able to deal with them.

As he picks her up and they are driving to the book shop, he tells her that she may be a little… confused… by some development in the new book, and asks her not to be mad at him. It wasn't something he planned or anything, really, his publisher suggested that turn of events and he kinda went with it because it felt like it would work just perfectly with how he saw the characters. And yes, while they are loosely based on the team, they are their own, independent characters. She just stares at him, frowning, uncomprehending. Until they break up and she enters the book shop like any person wanting to enjoy the reading while Tim goes around the back to meet with his publisher. She picks up one of the new books. "Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs, Volume III" the cover says and Ziva opens it, scanning over the press reviews, one catching her eye.

_"Unlike the first two novels in this series, this one is much more believable when it comes to team interactions. It does not focus on Tibbs as Superman who cracks every case but on the team and its dynamics. The characters have grown and Gemcity gives them room to shine in a new light. The slightly romantic subplot stays just that, a subplot, one that doesn't distract from the main action of the case but adds to it without being cliché or worn out."_

Before she can wonder about the 'romantic subplot' and text McGee that she will kill him if he put Ray in the book, the shop owner announces his arrival and she joins the mild applause of the other women as McGee sits down at the table they set up for him. He thanked them all for attending and told them some things about the writing process for the new book before he started reading a passage. At first, Ziva merely listened to his voice without paying much attention to the content, but then something he said caught her attention and she sat up in her seat, scrambling to find the passage he was reading out so she could follow along.

_"Agent McGregor was sure that Agent Lisa would threaten him with bodily harm if she caught him staring at her yet again. But he couldn't help it. It had been so long since he had heard her laugh and let go. Ever since her relationship with FBI Agent Jay Sanchez had ended, she had seemed sad. But now, weeks later, he found that the freshly turned Special Agent had left that dark cloud that had seemed to follow her around at home and was enjoying her time out with the rest of the team."_

Ziva blinks at the words on the page and suddenly started browsing through the book until she hits the end. Tim's voice becomes a distant echo as she begins to read on her own.

_" 'So, what now?" McGregor asked Lisa as he shouldered his backpack._

_'Well, I guess there is no point in hiding it any more, if Tibbs knows about it…' the woman shrugged, turning off her computer. When she looked at him, she found McGregor staring at her with wide eyes. 'What? Did you expect me to break up with you once it wasn't a secret anymore?'_

_'I… I didn't think we were that serious.' the male agent nodded slowly. 'That you were kinda using me to get over Jay and that you'd end this once you were over him. I never thought you'd risk your career for us staying together.'_

_Lisa set down her backpack and walked over to him, gently taking his head into her hands._

_'You are a wonderful person, Timon. And yes, I worked hard to be here, but the past few months, they showed me that I like being at NCIS because of the people more than because of the work. And without you, my life would be empty.' she told him, leaning up to brush her lips gently over his. 'You were never just someone to get over Jay with, Timon.' she muttered against his lips before pulling him down into a deep kiss, one he returned this time._

_'Didn't I tell you two not at the office?' Tibbs barked as he strode into the bullpen to turn off his desk lamp before he left for the night and the two agents sprang apart, sounding a 'sorry Boss' while they watched him disappear and sharing a look and grin that said the only thing they were sorry for was getting caught yet again."_

Ziva swallows thickly and closes the book, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Given that he had written about McGregor and Amy getting together again in the rough draft of his second novel (and cut it after Abby had insisted they weren't good for each other), it's hard to believe that McGee doesn't hold any feelings for Lisa. Or rather, her real counterpart: Ziva.

The rest of the session feels like torture to her as women (Ziva only counted four men in the room and three were looking like they had been dragged here by their wives, not enjoying themselves at all) ask questions about the characters and developments that would happen in the future, one going as far as to suggest that Lisa and Timon should get married soon. She feels McGee look at her then but pretends to be busy checking her cell phone. Not really mature, she knows, but she has not the slightest idea of how she is supposed to react to this. As the others line up to get autographs on their new novels, Ziva goes to the cash register and pays for her book.

"Don't you want it signed?" the woman behind the counter asks her when she finally manages to tear her eyes away from McGee long enough to ring up Ziva's purchase.

"No, I'm not that much of a fan." Ziva shrugs and takes back her change. 'It would be a waste because I'm planning to hit him over the head with it repeatedly' doesn't seem like an appropriate response to a stranger. She doesn't know how much time she spends waiting for him outside, but it's enough to give her time to think.

She enjoys spending time with Tim immensely. They share a common interest in books and literature and an appreciation for art and music. They are both people who enjoy quiet more than loud clubs, though they have times when they go out with the rest of the team. She looks forward to their evenings together and has fun teaching him how to cook things that aren't TV dinners. And maybe, he has been the one that has helped her most with getting over Ray. He's been there for her, always, and she never had to question his intentions, not once. Unlike Tony, Tim has never given her the feeling that he appreciates her body more than her personality. He's always been mindful of her feelings and never hurt her. And even though his book is evidence that maybe, he feels more for her than just simple friendship, he has never made a move. Tim has always respected her wishes. She has been with Ray and he respected that enough to not try and break them up in some way, and even after it was over between them, he didn't make a move immediately but gave her time to heal, to get over it.

And suddenly, just like that, she realizes who must have given her the necklace and pendants and why Abby hasn't said anything. It had been Tim. Who knew about her dating another man but still wanted to get her something special, and the only way he knew how to do it without her questioning him had been by sneaking her present into her backpack. Ziva suddenly knows what she wants to do and quickly composes her features as Tim finally leaves the bookshop and walks over to her, slowly approaching her as if he's afraid of her reaction. Which, granted, he probably should be, given the content of his new novel.

"So, what did you think?" he asks her nervously, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.

"I have to read the whole thing first, before I can tell you what I think." Ziva shrugs, holding up the book she purchased. McGee swallows and nods, unlocking the car and opening the door for her. Ziva gets in and takes a deep breath while Tim walks around the vehicle. She needs to work up her courage.

"Thanks for coming. And not ripping my head off." McGee mutters as he pulls up outside her apartment building.

"Want to come up?" Ziva asks him, watching as his eyes widen and seeing the excuse form on his lips. "It's still early. Oh, and I finished the book I told you about, if you still want to read it…" she trails off, barely able to keep herself from biting her lip as he thinks briefly and then nods, getting out of the car with her.

Upstairs, Ziva gives him the book and disappears into her bedroom to change into something more comfortable, tugging the necklace over her shirt so it will catch his eye.

Back in the living room, Tim is reading the back of the cover of the book and looks up when he hears her come back, his eyes finding the necklace easily. Ziva watches his eyes widen slightly and reaches down, toying with the two pendants.

"I would have thanked you earlier, only I didn't know it was you who gave it to me." she tells him, shrugging.

"You… you like it?" he asks her, his voice soft, a hopeful note lingering.

"Yes." she nods, walking over to him and brushing her lips against his cheek in a gentle caress. "Thank you, Tim." she breathes, suddenly finding herself getting lost in his green eyes as he stares down at her. He throws the book on the couch and his hands find her hips, resting on them carefully, trying to figure out what exactly is happening between them right now. Ziva decides to speed up the process a bit and steps closer to him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"You could have told me." she mutters softly, running her fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck. Tim snorts, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, because you wouldn't have tried to give it back then."

Ziva blinks in confusion before she realizes that he thinks she's talking about the necklace still. Slowly, she shakes her head.

"I didn't mean the present." she tells him before leaning up again, this time touching her lips to his and lingering briefly before she pulls back slightly, watching the emotion flicker over his face. Tim's eyes are closed but the hold he has on her hips tightens, bordering on painful for a second until she slides her arms done to rub her hands over his upper arms in a soft caress.

"Ziva…"

"Relax." she mutters, waiting until he opens his eyes. "I'm not toying around with you. I just… I think I need some time, to wrap my head around this?"

Tim swallows and gives a silent nod.

"Sure. Yeah. Okay." he agrees and she can see the doubt in his eyes, the fear that she'll change her mind.

"I'm confused." she admits, drawing a deep breath and staring at the collar of his shirt. "That I managed to miss this for so long. And I'm confused about my own… feelings. But I know that I… like you. I like you a lot, more than just as a friend."

Apparently, that will do as a reassurance, at least for now, because he leans down to kiss her widow's peak and wraps her arms around her to hold her close.

* * *

They take it slow. Nothing changes at first, besides them touching more than they did before and sneaking occasional kisses when they're alone. When they feel that what they are doing is now really dating, they both agree that it will be better to let Gibbs now immediately. It's not much of a surprise to either of them that their boss doesn't seem the least bit surprised and lets them continue on with it, the sharp warning to not let it interfere with their work not a surprise, either.

They take more time to tell Tony and Abby about it, simply because Abby was once together with McGee and Ziva isn't sure how Tony will take them being together now. And she is right with her suspicions. Her partner sulks for almost two weeks, until a suspect shooting at him and Ziva when they go to pick him up pulls him out of his funk.

It's the day of their one year anniversary as a couple when Ziva turns over in bed, finding the other side empty and cold. She slowly sits up, brushing her curls from her face. Jethro is lying on his blanket by the bedroom door, lifting his head and giving a soft whine before she rolls her eyes and pats the side of the bed Tim slept in. The dog rises and trots over, jumping up and greeting her with a lick of his tongue before he flops down on the sheets, watching her intently. Ziva pets his side before getting up. She finds one of Tim's shirts in the hamper and puts it on before leaving the bedroom in search of him. By how calm Jethro is acting, Tim must have already gone for a walk with him, since it's past 9 o'clock and the dog usually wakes them at this point when they sleep in because he has to go badly. That, and they keep the bedroom door closed through the night when she stays over after Jethro once jumped onto the bed when she was lying in it, landing on her and knocking the wind out of her in the middle of the night.

Tim's running shoes are sitting by the door and Jethro's leash is on its designated hook on the wardrobe. He isn't in the study either. Ziva moves on, down the hallway, the smell of breakfast and coffee filling her nose. With a relieved smile, she walks over the cold hardwood floor and slips through the half-closed sliding doors of the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend as he is making pancakes. To his credit, he only jumps slightly and relaxes into her before he turns down the stove and slides the last pancake onto the plate sitting next to the oven. He sets the pan aside and turns in her arms to give her a good morning kiss.

"You're supposed to be in bed." he mutters against her lips and Ziva shrugs.

"It was empty and boring without you."

At that, Tim gives a short laugh, rubbing his nose against hers before kissing her again.

"Happy anniversary." he breathes and Ziva grins, reaching up to pull him down to give him a passionate kiss.

"Happy anniversary." she returns, slipping her hands under his shirt.

"Breakfast's getting cold." Tim mutters against her lips when she starts unbuttoning his shirts and brushes it over his shoulders.

"I'm in the mood for dessert." Ziva returns, hooking her fingers through his belt loops and pulling him with her down the hallway to the bedroom.

An hour later, she feels him slip from the bed and sits up again.

"Where are you going?" she asks him, moving to get up herself, but he pushes her back into the sheets gently.

"Be right back." he assures her, slipping from the bedroom to return two minutes later, one of his hands behind his back. She holds up the covers for him so he can slip under them easily and suddenly finds a black velvet box held under her nose. Her eyes widen and Tim kisses her bare shoulder, his lips moving in a soft smile.

"Don't worry, it's not a ring." he mutters against her skin and she lets go of the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Open it."

Ziva scoots closer to him and lets her head rest against his chest as she opens the box. There, on the black fabric, lies another pendant in the shape of a chemical compound.

"Dopamine." Tim tells her, opening the necklace fastened around her neck that has the other two pendants he gave her all this time ago.

"Let me guess, another neurotransmitter?" she asks, slipping the new pendant onto the necklace and watching as Tim lets it dangle before them. She reaches out to touch the new addition to it, trying to remember what dopamine was for, but coming up with nothing.

"Yupp." Tim confirms, reaching around her to fasten the necklace again. As the cool metal hits her skin, he leans down, kissing her neck gently. "It's commonly associated with love, passion and pleasure."

Ziva can't help the wide smile that spreads on her lips as she turns to face him.

"So, dopamine, serotonin and… ace…" she trails off, trying to remember the name for the first pendant he gave her.

"Acetylcholine." Tim helps her out, running his finger over the necklace and sending a shiver down Ziva's spine.

"Love, passion, happiness, satisfaction, learning and dreaming, right?" Ziva asks, brushing her lips over his as her boyfriend nods, wrapping her arms around his neck as she lifts her leg and sits down on top of him. "Sounds a lot like our relationship."

Tim smiles up at her, his green eyes sparkling with happiness. "Glad you think so." he grins, pulling her down for another kiss.

"I love you, Tim." she mutters against his lips, leaning back to look into his eyes before allowing him to kiss her again.

"I love you, too." he breathes before he flips them over and starts trailing kisses down her body.

_FIN_


End file.
